Conventional gloves for exercise, fitness and conditioning, athletic activities and the like typically comprise a hollow body formed in the shape of a user's hand, either in full-finger, half-finger or fingerless design, and constructed of cushioned and/or other pliable materials for desired levels of comfort and protection during use. The configuration of each glove is often dictated by the application(s) to which it is intended. Whether the glove is designed for golf, gardening, bowling, football, baseball, cycling, weightlifting, handball, riflery, Yoga or other activities, each glove is characterized by a hollow body with full to half-finger coverage made of a stretchable material or non-stretchable and formed in the shape of a user's hand with padding directed primarily on those portion(s) of the glove that typically engage objects or surfaces where added protection is needed.
Due to increased participation in sports and exercise activities in recent years as well as heightened awareness of the importance of ergonomics, such as proper body positioning, a variety of commercial glove products have been developed in an attempt not only to prevent or decrease the frequency of injury, but also to absorb shock and reduce impact and compression on the user's nerves and joints, especially in the hand and wrist. Cycling gloves, for instance, are considered particularly representative in providing a padded palm, half-finger design with grooved channels. An objective of these gloves is to provide suitable protection to the user's palm, improve comfort and grip, while decreasing nerve compression. Similarly, weight lifting gloves, golfing gloves, batting gloves and other sport specific gloves have been designed for enhancing grip, form, comfort, protection and performance of the user. Conventional sports and exercise gloves, it has been found, have one thing in common, namely, padding in the palm portion of the glove.
Gloves intended for aiding the user when engaging in floor exercise activities, e.g., Yoga, Pilates and upper body strengthening exercise such as pushups, are usually directed to slippage reduction of the user's hand during use. Some Yoga gloves provide a non-skid material over the palm portion of the glove. These gloves are used alternatively to or concurrently with props and other freestanding tools intended to modify body posture, body position, and/or relieve stress on the user's wrist. Such props include, for example, a foam wedge or a suspended bar (known as a Gripitz®) for grasping by a neutral wrist instead of assuming an extended wrist and finger position. While the use of props with or without gloves has been found relatively effective, the need for freestanding tools requires that the user interrupt his or her exercise routine in order to suitably position (or reposition) the props.
As for gloves designed for support and treatment of hand-related ailments such as arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, such gloves usually focus on a design that, while suitable for the treatment intended, inhibits flexibility or immobilizes the hand and/or wrist. Examples of these gloves include tight fitting elastic, thermoplastic or neoprene gloves with splints or laced webbing for limiting or restricting wrist, hand and/or finger movement.
Although conventional gloves, whether for sports, exercise or medical treatment, are often suitable for the activities and applications for which they are designed, and may be useful for other activities and applications for which they are not, not only has padding and protection at, or in proximity to, the wrist joint and palm been found inadequate, but also the comfort and performance of the glove is often hindered by features used for protection of the user's hand and vice versa.